Offers an illustrated history of the long-standing, complex relationship between photography and science.
This book serves as both an introduction to photography's technical innovations, and also to some key concepts in the history of science. It is suitable for scientists, photographers, and art-historians alike.
How do we know what an amoeba looks like? How can doctors see the details of our skeletons and internal organs? What enables us to see an exploding star in another galaxy? All of these things are made possible through the innovations of photography. Kelley Wilder here provides a primer on the remarkably fruitful applications of photography to science as she explores the multiple facets of this complex relationship.
"Photography and Science" describes how photography first established its legitimacy through close association with key scientific ideas and practices, such as objectivity, observation, archiving and experimentation. Wilder then charts how photography returned the favour by serving as a powerful influence in various scientific disciplines, such as biology and astronomy.